The best tomato you’ll eat this summer may be a variety Thomas Jefferson also enjoyed. In fact, many of our favorite heirloom tomato varieties date back to Thomas Jefferson and the czars of Russia. Heirloom tomatoes are open pollinated varieties that date back to 1940 or earlier, before modern cross breeding really began.

What most people don’t know, though, is that politics played a huge role in bringing the heirloom tomato craze to the produce department. When President Ronald Regan stood at the Berlin Wall in 1987 and called on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall, he never suspected that action would also bring old Eastern European heirloom tomatoes to Western grocery store shelves and farmers markets.

So what’s so hot about an heirloom? Simple — flavor. These colorful tomatoes are full of flavor. But they don’t last long. Use them within 48 hours of purchase. And please don’t refrigerate them. That’s a sure way of killing flavor. Keep them on your countertop, loosely covered and out of direct sunlight.

You will find heirlooms retailing for around $2.99-$4.99 per pound — and worth every penny. Get out the balsamic vinegar and enjoy.

Michael Marks is marketing manager for the produce distributor FreshPoint. He has been in the fruit and vegetable business for more than 30 years.

In the BinsTips

Pomegranates San Joaquin Valley$2.79-$2.99 eachThese are lighter in color and less intense than the fruit we”ll see this Fall.Asian Pears San Joaquin Valley $1.39-$1.79 eachThe first Asian Pears are coming into markets.Gala Apples San Joaquin Valley; New Zealand $1.49-$1.69 per poundA new crop of freshly picked, crunchy Galas from the Valley.Figs Fresno$2.99-$3.99 per basketThe second summer crop has begun. Store these in a single layer.

Otto Warmbier was arrested in January 2016 at the end of a brief tourist visit to North Korea. He had been medically evacuated and was being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center when he died at age 22.